INTERVIEW: Amongst The Grit w/ Emma Grimmond

Amongst the Grit contacted me with some of my favourite interview questions so far! You can find more colourful writing in short interviews between Emma & everyday inspiring ladies at amongstthegrit.wordpress.com.

Where are you from and where do you live now -

I am from Adelaide! My family are from a place called Dublin. NOT Dublin Ireland, Dublin, SA…. a town with a population of about 50 people, a pub & a general store owned by my fav uncle.

How many years have you danced around the sun -

I am 26 years old! I always laughed at people when they couldn’t remember their age straight away when asked, but I get it now. Sometimes I think I’m still a lil baby-girl bopping around the nightclubs, when in reality I am a lady in her late 20’s who sits at home with her pottery & the fire on most Saturday nights.

Who is 'Boob Boobington'. Can you tell us what she embodies –

Miss Boobington has now become my Tit Queen alter ego, but to me she will always be a testament to my very simple & crude 12-year-old school boy humour. How ever many years ago, when Instagram first started, I remember laughing for days after coming up with my username. I mean, Boobs Boobington? Shut up, it’s so funny. Oh and I guess she is for equality, self-love yada-yada-yada.

When you do feel your most creatively charged! -

I am never more excited & inspired than after delving into the story of one of the many women I name my pots after. When I sink into their stories, both their triumphs & their struggles, particularly in relation to our indigenous sisters, I am so often floored. In facing such adversity, they truly embody the strength of a woman & I feel so genuinely honoured to live in a world that our foremothers fought so hard to make for us…. all so I can get on my phone & complain about not being able to get my nipples out!

If anything, it’s always a reminder that one voice may start small, but that voice is never insignificant. I will never stop making sure mine is heard, because I am in a position of privilege & I hope to always speak for those who have been silenced, abused or discarded.

What do you do to spark your creative energy if you are feeling flat -

To be honest, I can be at my most motivated & productive when I’m feeling flat. Suffering from endometriosis means I’m often couch ridden, high on drugs with a wheat bag strapped to my person. Since starting Dots Pots, I have had a reason to summon that tiny bit of energy needed to make it to my kitchen table & get to making some orders. Often feeling debilitated and stuck with a condition that leaves you confined to your house has made me really appreciate having an outlet/distraction like pottery that I can do at home.

When and how did the genius idea to start up your pottery business ‘Dots Pots’ manifest -

There are a million different answers to this question but it starts with making a pot for one of my very close friends & ends with my Nana, Dot, forcing me to order some clay in bulk & start flinging my tits out to the general public. She has been my number 1 supporter from the beginning… hence, the namesake!

From what I have read it appears there are many layers to the ‘Dots Pots’ business. Can you explain what they are and why each is so important -

Dots Pots offer a variety of services, all related to its core values of body positivity, self-love, sisterhood (& boobs!) by selling pre-made pots, special commissions, hosting private pottery workshop parties & special public events.

I sell ‘tit’ pots & donate $5 from each pot to local organisations that offer direct support to women in our state. Last Christmas, we raised enough to fund 4 case workers over Christmas time for Catherine House. We have donated to other important groups like the The House of Hope which is run by the Aboriginal Sobriety Group, Australian Refugee Association and Women’s Support Services. Every few months, Dots refocuses to another local foundation as the few hundred dollars we raise is half of the aim of the project, we find it incredibly important to bring awareness to the services that these organisations provide & hope to remind our community just how much they deserve our support.

I work basically work without profit, $5 donations are compiled & topped up (after big days at the Gilles At the Grounds Market for example), all other money goes back into the business or literally to women on the street living rough.

Beyond the philanthropic side of Dots Pots, the focus & reach that is growing from the Instagram page means that the messages of body positivity, self-love & sisterhood is spilling out in to the community. The next few months will see me running around SA with my travelling workshop almost every weekend, where I will roll into houses full of women and remind them just how beautiful their individual bodies & personalities are & their responsibility to their sisters struggling in the local community.

What message are you trying to spread to women and men... Fuck it, THE UNIVERSE! with ‘Dots Pots’ -

The importance of self-love seems to be a little ‘trendy’ at the moment, so much so it’s almost an added level of pressure. In order to get anywhere close to self-love, we’ve got to cut ourselves some slack and have some no strings attached, honest and inward conversations.  

What don’t we like about our personalities & our bodies? Say it out loud. Sit with it. Don’t stew on it, don’t allow it to become an overarching darkness of your day. Accept that criticism of yourself and move on. You’re probably wrong, your thighs are probably just fine the way they are, but you don’t have to go through the inner turmoil of convincing a non-convincible you otherwise.

Self-esteem is fragile & every one of us is impacted by it. If we can honestly listen to that negative self-talk, we might be able to eventually question it origins. Who taught us that ‘this’ = hot & ‘this’ = ugly? Who taught us that we should be sexy in these ways, but conservative in these? How does this perspective of myself align with my values and whats important to me? How do the standards I impose on myself, stand up against my standards of others?

It’s a lot easier to challenge a thought when you realise it comes from unattainable societal standards, rather than a genuine place within yourself.

Moving through these criticisms is important, but it’s also really important to remind yourself of your value. Like personally, I’m needy as heck! I am also one of the most loving people I know. I value my heart so much, because if I am being honest with myself & my impact on those around me, that part of me is a truly valuable thing. Such a simple thought, but I can seriously tell you that there were times in my life it would have felt impossible to find something to like about myself, let alone be proud of.

I’ve realised we may not always love the way we present to the world, our decisions, our perspectives or our feelings, but we can always choose to accept them and move forward. It’s something that has been much less of a struggle for me than trying to understand the whole ‘LOVE YOURSELF, YOU ARE PERFECT BYE’ & taken me to a much realer thought process of ‘you are human, you are all of these things & that is what makes you perfectly imperfect’. Acceptance of who I am, what I’ve been through & what I have to offer the world. At the end of the day that’s all any of us has and we have an obligation to make the most of that.

What motto do you try and love your life by -

“I love to see a young girl go out & grab life by the lapels. Lifes a bitch. You’ve gotta go out & kick ass” - Maya Angelou.

I don’t know what a lapel is, but when the Queen of Queens, Maya Angelou, says something like that… you take it as gospel.

I adore all your tit and nip pots! Where can people go to buy one or book you for a party-

Thank you! I adore your tits & nips too! You can reach me at any of the socials – the main page being our Instagram @DOESMYNIPPLEOFFENDYOU, our Facebook @dotspotsadelaidelocal or the website doesmynippleoffendyou.com! book a party or order online just by sending me a quick message & asking for more info!